5 Football Films to Watch When You Need a Break from World Cup Drama | CinemaWorld
The World Cup season is back! The love for football transcends borders, cultures and languages—everything that CinemaWorld celebrates as we embrace unique and diverse stories from all around the world.
This season, we are featuring films that spotlight this universally beloved sport, from exciting neighbourhood matches to behind-the-scenes of match-fixing crimes.
Need a break from fiery fans, heated matches, and football-celebrity drama? These five movies are a reminder of why the game remains beloved across the globe.
1. Domingo
Mexico, Austria, France
Domingo is in his fifties, newly divorced and losing his job every other week. Determined to prove his worth, he embarks on a journey to chase his lifelong dream—to become a soccer commentator.
His aspirations begin at home. Domingo spends his Sundays on the sidelines of a make-shift soccer pitch near his impoverished small town in Guadalajara, passionately commentating on the neighbourhood matches. With the ultimate goal being to land a job with the local TV station, he never imagined how much his impassioned commentaries could change the life of his entire community.
A feel-good comedy film about community, rediscovering oneself and chasing impossible dreams, Domingo is certainly a love letter to the game of football.
2. Fran The Man
Ireland
The unlikely story of a passionate Assistant Manager of a local Irish football club forms the heart of Fran The Man. Delivering sharp, witty one-liners, this is Irish humour at its best.
As the gullible Fran scouts for young, talented new players for his team, the amateur club St. Peter’s Celtic, he finds himself caught at the centre of an international match-fixing scandal. Everyone is a suspect in this comedic whodunit, and Fran turns detective on his own players.
A mockumentary sprinkled with a sweet budding romance between Fran and one of his player’s mothers, Fran The Man is a celebration of community, identity, and the shared passion for football that connects us all.
3. Running On Sand
Israel
Running on Sand is a touching story about Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee in Israel facing imminent deportation. During a spontaneous attempt to escape at the airport, Aumari runs straight into the arms of a mob of fans who mistake him for the famous Nigerian striker scheduled to arrive that same day.
Though caught by surprise, he quickly seizes the opportunity and takes on his new persona, becoming the new player for the struggling football team, "Maccabi Netanya". Despite having zero talent on the field, Aumari makes up for in heart as his presence begins to resolve the deep-seated divisions within his team. A heartfelt story brought to life by football, Running on Sand drives home the importance to look beyond our differences and recognise the humanity in everyone.
4. Playmaker
Germany
Set against the high-pressure backdrop of professional football, this crime-thriller follows Ivo, a disillusioned ex-player fresh out of prison and searching for a clean slate. He finds it unexpectedly in Lukas, a talented young player who reminds Ivo of his younger self.
Driven by a newfound purpose, Ivo steps up to help Lukas pursue his dreams of becoming a professional footballer. Over the course of their training, Ivo grows close with Lukas’s family and sparks a relationship with Lukas’s mother Vera. However, redemption is hard-won. His criminal past soon catches up and infringes on his new life, threatening to destroy all that he has built.
In a desperate attempt to protect his student and his lover, Ivo makes a pact with mobster Dejan—but can this scheming criminal truly be trusted?
5. Winners
Germany
Written and directed by Soleen Yusef and inspired by her own childhood memories, Winners is a vibrant yet grounded look at the refugee experience through the lens of youth sports. The film follows 11-year-old Mona, who finds herself isolated by language and trauma after arriving in Berlin from Syria. Her saving grace is football, and soon, a coach who sees her potential, pushes her onto the school's fierce girls' team. Though fitting in proves a challenge, the girls eventually learn to heal their own wounds by looking past their differences and trusting one another.
Nominated for Best Film (Generation Kplus) at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, it’s a triumphant celebration of identity and collective strength found in girlhood that yells: girls can do sports too!
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